Bobbin replenishing means for looms



April 5, 1960 A. DEUCHER BOBBIN REPLINISHING MEANS FOR LOOMS 5 SheetsSheet 1 Filed NOV. 29, 1954 I/Wf/VT R ADOLF DEL/c15 5? 5/ M ATTOR/Yf) April 1960 A. DEUCHER 2,931,397

BOBBIN REPLINISHING MEANS FOR LOOMS Filed Nov. 29, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.3 13

o 2 1 Z O 115: o I '1 15 E a L 15d o Q 2 15a 15b 15b 0 5 ATTORNEY April 5, 1968 A. DEUCHER BOBBIN REPLINISHING MEANS FOR LOOMS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 29, 1954 April 5, 1960 A DEUCHER BOBBIN REPLINISHING MEANS FOR LOOMS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 29, 1954 Arm/Wt? April 5, 1960 A. DEUCHER BOBBIN REPLINISHING MEANS FOR LOOMS Filed Nov. 29, 1954 [WW-W701? Am F ,0: 11mm 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 2,931,397 EOBBIN REPLENESHING MEANS FOR LOOMS Adolf Deueher, Rapperswil, Switzerland, assignor to Maschinenfabril; Ruti A.G. vorrnals Caspar Honegger, Ruti, Switzerland, 21 Swiss firm Application November 29, 1954, Serial No. 471,862

Claims priority, application Switzerland December 1, 1953 6 Claims. (Cl. 139-245) This invention relates to means for feeding weft bobbins to automatic bobbin changing apparatus in looms for Weaving.

The present invention is characterized by a magazine which is removably connected to the loom and is provided with guiding means for a single row of bobbins stacked loosely one behind the other, the said magazine remaining stationary during the removal of the bobbins therefrom, under the action of a force applied continuously to the bobbins, and being exchangeable, when empty, by a full magazine.

Preferably at least two separate magazines maybe arranged on the loom, each being provided with guiding means for at least one row of bobbins stacked loosely one behind the other, each of the said magazines, after being emptied under the action of a force acting continuously on the bobbins, being exchangeable for a filled magazine and remaining stationary during the discharge of a single row of bobbins, the arrangement being such that the bobbins are automatically discharged from one magazine and then from the other and delivered to the automatic bobbin changing apparatus.

Other features of the invention will be apparent from the claims, the description and the accompanying drawings, which illustrate diagrammatically a number of embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 1 shows the first embodiment of the invention and part of a weaving loom with automatic bobbin changing apparatus in side elevation, partly in section on the line iI of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 shows, on a larger scale than Fig. 1, a crosssection on the line 11-11 of Fig. l; v

Fig. 3 is a section on the line Ill-III of Fig. 4 of an embodiment for a two-color loom;

.Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line lV--1V of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a section similar to that shown in Fig. 3 of an embodiment for a four-color loom;

Fig. 6 shows a modified embodiment for a singlecolor loom, partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section on the line Vl-Vi of Fig. 7;

fig. 7 is a plan view, partly in section on the line VIP-VII of Fig. 6;

8 is a vertical section of a further embodiment, and

Fig. 9 is a vertical section of a final embodiment.

For better understanding, a number of known parts of a mechanical loom are shown in l, in which 4 is the shuttle race on which the shuttle 5 is movably guided, 6 is the picking stick for driving the shuttle 5, which contains a bobbin 2, while 7 is a shuttle stopmotion member with associated pair of shears 8, 9 is a loom temple for the woven cloth and 10 represents an associated pair of shears.

The loom is further provided with an automatic bobbin-changing apparatus of a kind known per se for replacing the exhausted weft bobbin 2 in the shuttle 5 by a fresh, fully-wound bobbin. In Figs. 1 and 2, only a nited tates Patent 0 clamp 13 as shown in Fig. 1.

guiding member 3, and in Fig. 2, in addition thereto, the hammer 3a of this automatic bobbin-changing apparatus is illustrated, the said hammer being adapted to knock a fresh bobbin out of the magazine during the bobbin change by striking it from above into the shuttle 5, thereby forcing the exhausted bobbin downwardly out of the shuttle.

The guide member 3 is provided at its exit end with a pivoted projection 3b which, under the action of a spring (not shown), tends to extend across or into the path of travel of the bobbins 2 through the guide member 3, so as to prevent the respective lowermost bobbin from falling out of the guide member. If the said lowermost bobbin, however, is struck by the hammer 3a to force it into the shuttle 5, then the projection 3b is rocked automatically in opposition to the said spring out of the path of this bobbin and then passes above it to extend inwardly into the guide member 3 again for the purpose of preventing the next bobbin from falling down.

On the guide member 3 is releasably and exchangeably mounted a magazine 1 which serves to supply the fully wound weft bobbins 2 to the automatic bobbin-changing apparatus, the said magazine being adapted to receive a single row of bobbins 2 stacked loosely one behind the other. Each bobbin 2 is provided with a thickened head having a peripheral groove 11 therein, which serves for guiding the bobbin in the magazine 1, one end wall of the magazine 1 being provided with a slot 1a the two longitudinal edges of which engage in the peripheral slots 11 of the bobbins 2.

The bobbins 2 are bored axially so that the thread can be withdrawn over the point of the bobbin and through its axial bore. On the end wall of the magazine 1 provided with the slot la is provided a thread holder in the form of a pin or peg 12 to which the ends of the threads are releasably secured when the 'bobbns 2 are filled into the magazine 1, for instance on a spooling machine. On the guide member 3 is provided a plate 13s with a thread clamp 13. When the magazine 1 filled with fully wound bobbins 2 has been placed upon the guide member 3 on the loom, the ends of the threads are released from the thread holder 12 and clamped by means of the thread After a fresh bobbin 2 has been knocked into the shuttle 5 and the shuttle has traversed the shuttle race once to and fro, theshears 10 sever the portion of the thread secured to the thread clamp 13 so that it hangs down loosely therefrom. By means of the other shears 8, the final end piece 14a of the thread residue still remaining on the exhausted bobbin, which has been expelled from the shuttle in the manner previously explained, is cut ofi.

It is to be pointed out that for a given number of looms, a larger number of magazines 1 are provided, in

zine itselt remains stationary upon the loom. Each time after an exchange of bobbins has taken place in the shuttle 5, the bobbins 2 slide downwardly under the action of gravity through the height occupiedby a single bobbin. The emptying of the magazine thus takes place under the action of gravity.

In a modification not illustrated, it would be possible to arrange in the magazine a spring which acts continuously on the bobbins and which, after each bobbin change, pushes the bobbins through the magazine by the amount of one bobbin. In this case the emptying of the member is also provided. The two limbs magazine could be effected upwardly from below or in any other direction.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 3 and 4, which is intended for supplying bobbins wound with diflerent col oredweft threads to the shuttle, corresponding parts are provided with the same references as in Figs. 1' and 2. The automatic bobbin-changing apparatus is provided with a U-shaped guiding member 15, each of the two limbs of which is adapted to have a magazine 1 with bobbins 2 pushed on to it. The magazines 1 and bobbins 2 are identical with those described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. The bobbin slideto the two limbs of the guiding member 15 are separated from one another by means of apartition wall 15a, on both sides of which exit openings for the bobbins are provided. Pivoted projections 15b, under the action of springs (not shown), pre vent the lowermost bobbins from falling down unintentionally out of the guiding member 15. The guiding member 15 is mounted on a horizontal shaft 15c in such a manner that it is able to swing upon the loom frame, so as to enable one or the other of the said exit openings to be swung over the shuttle 5 when the latter is at the corresponding end of its path of travel. By means of a hammer 15d, during the bobbin change, the particular bobbin 2 which happens to be located immediately above the shuttle 5 is projected out of the guiding member 15 into the shuttle, the respective projection 15b being forced aside against the force of the spring acting on it, the exhausted bobbin in the shuttle being forced downwardly out of it.

.For changing the color of the weft thread, the guiding member 15 is rocked until the other exit opening is located above the shuttle 5 and duringvthe next bobbin change a bobbin 2 is expelled from the other limb of the guiding member 15 and forced into the shuttle. The guiding member 15 is for instance rocked automatically in accordance with a predetermined program corresponding to the desired pattern to be woven. With the aid of the magazines 1, the bobbins 2 wound with weft thread of one color or the other are supplied to the shuttle in the manner hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. p The ends of theweft threads which are passed and are adapted to be oscillated around axes in line with the longitudinal axes of the bobbins detained by them. The guiding member 16 with the latch members 160 is known per se. The operation of the latch members 160 is preferably controlled automatically in accordance with a predetermined program corresponding to the required color pattern to be woven. The four bobbin channels may be supplied by means of the magazines 1 with bobbins wound with four differently colored threads.

The bobbin change in the shuttle takes place as follows:

The latch members 16c normally occupy a bobbinretaining position. Prior to a bobbin change, one of these latch members 160 is rocked upwardly in order to permit a bobbin wound with thread of the required color to roll down in front of the exit opening of the guiding member 16, the next following bobbin in the same bobbin channel being engaged by the latch member and prevented from rolling down. The latch member is subsequently moved back into its initial latching position and the said next through the axial bores in the bobbins 2 are likewise secured to thread clamps 13.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, a U-shaped guiding of this guiding member 16, however, are each adapted to receive two rows of bobbins and consequently two magazines 1 can be placed upon each limb of the guiding member separately and independently of one another. These magazines 1 and the bobbins 2 are of the same construction as those described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. In contradistinction to the embodiment shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the guiding member 16 is mounted on the loom in such a manner as to be stationary thereon and is provided with a single exit opening, which lies above the shuttle when the latter is at the corresponding end of the shuttle race. In this case also a pivoted projection is provided at the exit opening, the said projection 16a preventing any bobbin from dropping unintentionally. out of the guiding member 16. The four bobbin channels in the guiding'me'mber 16 deliver into the same exit opening, through which a hammer 16a can pass at the required time to drive a bobbin into the shuttle. Each of the four bobbin channels is provided with a movable latch member or spoon 160 which prevents the bobbins in the respective channel from rolling in front of the exit opening in the guiding member 16. Each of'the latch members 160 is'movable circumferentially of the periphery of the lowermost bobbin in the respective channel retainedby it, independently of the other latch members, so as to enable the said bobbin to be released and roll down to the exit opening-of the guiding member 16, while preventing the next bobbin in the row from rolling down. For this purpose, the latch members 16c are fixed on rocker arms (not shown in Fig 5 following bobbin then takes up the position previously occupied by the bobbin which now lies in front of the exit opening of the guiding member, the position of the parts being now that shown in Fig. 5. The hammer 16b is now moved downwardly in order to knock the bobbin located before the exit opening of the guiding member into the shuttle. If the color of the weft thread is to be changed, the above described sequence of operations is repeated 'for another bobbin with a difierently colored weft thread, i.e, for a bobbin in another bobbin channel of the guiding member 16. "The embodiment shown in Figs. 6 and 7 serves for automatically supplying bobbins with weft thread of the same color. The bobbins 2 are conveyed by means of magazines 17 to the automatic bobbin changing apparatus, the said magazines being adapted to receive a plurality of rows of bobbins arranged side by side and loosely stacked one above the other in a similar manner to the bobbins in the magazines 1. The bobbins themselves are of the same construction as those described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2.

The magazines 17 are provided with slots 17a and 17b, respectively, in their side walls, the said slots extending parallel to one another, for guiding the points and heads of the bobbins 2, respectively. The longitudinal edges of the slots 17b engage the peripheral grooves 11 in the bobbin heads and thereby secure the bobbins against axial displacement. Each magazine 17 travels on four suspen- 'sion rollers 18 upon inclined guide rails 19, so that one after the other of the rows of bobbins can be passed above a bobbin channel 3'. of the automatic bobbin change apparatus. A rockable flap 20 for each row of bobbins is provided on the magazines 17, each flap being fixed on a pivot shaft 21 and comprising two curved portions which can engage around the end bobbins of the respective row, in order to prevent the bobbinsfrom falling out of the magazines unintentionally.

When the. magazines have been filled with bobbins 2 arranged side by side, the" flaps 20 cannot be swung into their inoperative positions, since' the bobbins of the adjacent rows themselves secure the 'flaps of the following rows in their operative position. An operating arm 22 is fixed on each pivot shaft 21 and, above the bobbin channel 3, the guide rails 19 are connected together as indicated at 19a and carry an abutment 19b adapted to cooperate with the operating arms 22. If 'an operating arm 22 is moved against the abutment, the respective flap 20 is rocked in such a manner that the bobbins of the row retained by it are released andfall into the guide channel 3' below it. By means'of the hammer 3a the lowermost bobbin in the channel can be knocked into the shuttle against the action of the retaining projection 3b in the manner hereinbefore explained with reference to the first embodiment..

A step-by-step escapement mechanism (not shown) which is being emptied in such a position that the foremost row of bobbins 2 still contained in the magazine lies exactly above the guide channel 3', as shown in Fig. 6. This escapement mechanism is so controlled, for instance by the aid of a feeler member which bears against the bobbins of this row, that the magazine, after one row of bobbins has been completely discharged therefrom, is always advanced through a distance such that the next row of bobbins comes to lie above the guide channel 3'. During the discharge of a row of bobbins, the magazine 17 always remains stationary.

When the magazine 17 has been completely emptied, it travels further down on the rails 19 into a position where it can be removed and again filled with fully wound bobbins 2. The magazines 17 are not filled on the loom itself but, for instance, on a spooling machine. The filled magazines 17 are again placed on the upper part of the rails 19 so as to be available for use at the bobbinchanging point when required.

While, in the embodiment just described, the guide rails 19 extend in a straight line above the loom. Fig. 8 shows another example in which two pairs of guide rails 19 are provided, one above the other, the two pairs extending in opposite directions. From the lower end part of the upper guide rails 19 two pairs of vertical rails 23 extend towards the upper end part of the lower guide rails 19. The treads of the leading pair of rollers 18 of each magazine may be wider than the treads of the trailing pair and the second pair of guide rails 23 may be spaced further apart than the first pair, so that as the rollers 18 of the magazines travel downwardly upon the upper rails 19, the leading pair of rollers of each magazine in turn ride over the upper ends of the first pair of vertical rails 23 and continue to travel upon the upper rails 19 until they reach the second pair of vertical guide rails 23, by which time the trailing pair of rollers 18 has reached the first pair of guide rails 23. The leading and trailing rollers are then guided by the respective pairs of vertical rails 23 on to the lower rails 1? and support the magazine thereon, the magazine then traveling to the bobbin-changing point, as described with reference to Figs. 6 and 7. With the exception that the magazines 17 according to Fig. 8 are constructed to accommodate a smaller number of rows of bobbins, the construction of the magazines themselves is the same as in the preceding example.

The advantage of the embodiment according to Fig. 8 lies in the fact that the magazines 17 filled with bobbins can be placed upon the upper rails 19 and the empty magazines can be removed from the lower rails from the same side of the loom, preferably from the warp beam side. In the example shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the installation and removal of the magazines 17 must be effected from opposite sides of the loom.

The embodiment shown in Fig. 9 has the same advantage as that shown in Fig. 8. The difference lies in a different constructional method of effecting the travel of the magazine 17 upon the guide rails and the transfer of the magazines from the upper guide rails 19 to the lower ones. According to Fig. 9, the magazines filled with bobbins 2 are so arranged that the rollers 18 are on the underside of the magazines. At the lower ends or" the upper rails 19 is arranged an abutment 24 for cooperation with the leading rollers 13 of the magazines, a rail 25 extending substantially vertically from the abutment 2:3 for guiding each of the said rollers downwardly on to the lower guide rail 19.

When a magazine 17 rolls downwardly upon the upper guide rails 19 and the leading rollers 13 are arrested by the abutment 24, the said rollers drop down on to the lower guide rails 19, the entire magazine being thereby tilted around the axis of the leading pair of rollers 13 until the leading edge of the bottom of the magazine comes into contact with the outside of the abutment 24. The magazine is then swung by hand through the position shown in dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 9, the axis of the trailing pair of rollers 18 moving through the circle shown in dot-and-dash lines until the trailing rollers rest upon the lower rails 19. The next magazine is prevented by means of a chock 18' from traveling down.- wardly to the end of the upper rails 19, the said chock being removed when the next magazine is required to travel upon the lower guide rails 19. The magazine, after being transferred to the lower guide rails 19 then travels into the bobbin-changing position, as described with reference to Figs. 6 and 7.

What is claimed is:

1. A supplying mechanism for feeding weft bobbins to the automatic bobbin changing apparatus of a loom comprising at least two separate containers each having guiding means for at least one pile of loosely disposed bobbins lying each behind the other, means for connecting said containers removably to the loom so that each container, when empty, may be replaced separately by a full container, each container being stationarily disposed as the bobbins are emptied from it, said bobbins leaving said container under the influence of a continuous force acting upon the bobbins, the two containers being disposed in such manner that the bobbins are fed automatically to the automatic bobbin changing apparatus from one container until said container is empty and subsequently from the other container, said containers being provided with suspension rollers running along guides and having guiding means for a plurality of piles of bobbins, said piles being arranged side by side.

2. A supplying mechanism for feeding weft bobbins to the automatic bobbin changing apparatus of a loom comprising at least two separate containers each having a guiding means for at least one pile of loosely disposed bobbins lying each behind the other, means for connecting said containers removably to the loom so that each container, when empty, may be replaced separately by a full container, each container being stationarily disposed as the bobbins are emptied from it, said bobbins leaving said container under the influence of a continuous force acting upon the bobbins, the two containers being disposed in such manner that the bobbins are fed automatically to the automatic bobbing changing apparatus from one container until said container is empty and subsequently from the other container, for each pile of bobbins a fiap member engaging under the bottom bobbin is rockably mounted on each container to hold the bobbins during transportation of the containers, each flap member being provided with an arm cooperating with a stop member on the automatic changing apparatus to rock the flap member and to release the bobbins. i

3. A supplying mechanism for feeding bobbins to the automatic bobbin changing apparatus of a loom comprising, in combination, inclined track means, a container adapted to hold a plurality of said bobbins in a plurality of rows and movable under the influence of gravity along said track means to a position to discharge selectively each row of said bobbins into said apparatus.

4. A supplying mechanism for feeding weft bobbins to the automatic bobbin changing apparatus of a loom comprising inclined track means, a container adapted to hold a plurality of said bobbins in a plurality of rows and movable along said track means to a position to discharge selectively said bobbins into said apparatus, holding means for normally supporting each row of bobbins in said container, and means for selectively displacing said holding means for each row when said container reaches said position to discharge the respective row of bobbins.

5. A supplying mechanism for feeding weft bobbins to the automatic bobbin changing apparatus of a loom comprising inclined track means, a container adapted to hold a plurality of said bobbins in a plurality of rows and movable along said track means to a position to abuse? discharge selectively said bobbins into said apparatus, holding means for normally supporting each row of bobbins in said container, and means for selectively displacing said holding means to release the respective row of bobbins.-

6. In combination with a loom having a receptacle for bobbins from which the loom is supplied with said bobbins, a supplying mechanism for automatically feeding bobbins to said receptacle comprising inclined track means, a container adapted to hold aplurality of said bobbins in at least one row and movable along said track means to a position to discharge said bobbins into said receptacle, means for normally supporting said row of bobbins in said container, and means for displacing said 8 last-named means when said container reaches said posi tion to discharge saidbobbins. 7 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

